| Carved sculpture figured prominently in the life's work of Auguste Rodin. A comprehensive accounting of his carved oeuvre numbers around two hundred and ninety-five individual sculptures, representing one hundred and eighty-three distinguishable subjects. This thesis provides a comprehensive accounting of this body of Rodin's sculpture, defining its relationship to his work in other materials and its distinguishing characteristics.;Part I, the "Overview and Critical Evaluation of Rodin's Carved Sculpture" explores his ideological and aesthetic preferences for marble, and his sensibility for this material. Rodin's origins in the commercial ateliers of the Second Empire is discussed, as is his use of plaster models, which served for the mise-aux-points of the marbles. The "indirect carving" technique practiced by Rodin has encouraged a discussion of Michelangelo's influence, and of the differences in the inspiration for Rodin's non-finito carving style. Rodin's use of models also informed the relation of his subjects to literary sources, which were often determined after a sculpture had been conceived.;Part II of this thesis discusses the carving techniques employed by Rodin, the division of labor in his studio, and the personnel he employed. Rodin's training in the commercial ateliers gave him a practical knowledge of the techniques of carving, and of the organization of a sculptor's studio into a variety of metiers, that informed the organization of his own studio. This section establishes that Rodin participated in the execution of his carved sculpture, and that the division of labor practiced by him was predicated on the important distinctions separating creation from execution, and of art from craft.;Section III, finally, consists of a catalogue raisonne of the carved sculpture between 1866-1899, including seventy-five subjects, many of which exist in multiple versions. This represents the first occasion in which this body of Rodin's sculpture has been fully accounted for, comprehensively documented, and placed in its chronological sequence. The sum of this work demonstrates the importance of this medium for Rodin, its quality, and its integral relationship to his work in other media. |
